Car-chocking means for mine cages



l July 12 927 s. .1. REAP CAR CHOCKING MEANS FOR MINE CAGES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1.

Q/CeyfgeM/J. @any witness Y@ Mummia 1 27. July 12, 9 s..1. REAP v CAR CHOCKING MEANS FOR MINE CAGES 5 sheew-sheetg' Filed June l. 1926 Witwe/oo Q-@Mun July 12, 1927.

s. J. REAP CAR CHOCKING MEANS FOR MINE CAGES 1926 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June L Patented July 12, 1927.

UNITE-D s-TATE'S STEPHEN J. "naar, 1or. oLYrHAN'r, rnNvsY'LvANIA.

cAR-cnfockme MnAns roRfMINn cAens.

fApplication vtiled 'June 1,

The invention relates yto i'niproveinentsin checks :designed primarily for use'on mine cages .to hold cars in proper position thereon, while permitting one car to leave the'cajge and another to enter thesame, wheny the desired landing is reached, and while I am aware `that numerous chock arrangements have been provided'for this purpose, itis the object of the present invention to Yprole vide a new and improved construction and arrangen'i'ent of parts-which ismoun'ted upon the cage and hence leaves the portions of the landings, adjacent the shaft, free of trips, levers and other accoutrements 5 With the foregoing in View, the invention resides in the novel 'subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawings. p

Fig. 1 is a sideuelevation `of a'portionof il t) a .mine cage, showing the application ofthe invention thereto;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view. Fig. is a vertical transverse section on L5 line 3-3 of Fig. 1. y p 1 Fig. lis a'longitudinal sectional vi'ew'as indicated by line 11--41 of` Fig.2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan View showing two of the chocks in operative rela- UJ tionwith the cage rails in full linesfand in dotted lines showing the positions in which they are latehed by a portionof .thefinvenf tion to permit cage. I i f C "dei'gnates a vmine car cage andfS has reference to the usual mine'shaft. The cage shown includesa deck D supported by a frame'structureF, `said frame structure comprising side` bars `6,' end bars 7, and `transfree travel of'a 'car from the bars, and it will'be observed from a number of th'e'vi'ews, thatythe vdeck carri'es `the usual -1 rails R for alinement with stationary rails 'at the 'several landings. p p

' Atene end of the deck D and mounted 'to "swing eitherovei" the rails Ror outwardly "away fromthese rails' are two" wheelchec'ks `9 while a-smiar'pair'of cheeks 9fare mount- `"ed at the opposite end fof" the "cage, these checks being 'adapted for' engagement y with "the wheels "Wbf amine 'car 'Wtoliold the latter upon the-cage wlii'lel'the car is 'being raisedk or neared. i The cheeks 9- and: 9f are carried byverticalsliafts 10""an'df1`0 'wliich verse bars' '8 inwardly spaced :from saidVV end v1921s. smal no. 112,999.

kpropriate brackets ll'which are securedV toY the end bars 7 of the frame F. `The inner ends of the levers 13 are Vpivoted ,to a link 15 whoseinner end is pivoted` at 16 to a 'crank arm 17 rising from a transverse rock shaft 18 at one end of the cage (lf VSimilarly, the inner ends of the levers V'13"are pivotally connected with the outer end of `a link 15', the inner end of the latter being pivoted at 16 to a crankearm 17 on a transverse rock shaft 18 mountedunear the opposite end `of the cage. `Separate actuators are providedv for the operating mechanisms of the two sets of checks 9 and 9, these .actu`- eters being shown inthe forni of rigid arms shafts 18 and 18 `respectively, and adapted upon predetermined loweringV of the cage, to engage and be upwardly swuiig by suitable trips in the shaft. These trips may be of any desired nature and they are merely illustrated in a vdiagrammatical way at 2O and 20 in Fig. 1. They are of. coursemounted sothat they may be projected vor retractedV individually, as occasion may 1 Adein'anfd.

19 and 19 projecting outwardly .from the' When the trip 20 is 4projected to its opera-` tive position, it is in the downward path of the arm 19and when this arm strikes said trip, itswin'gs upwardly to 'the dotted line position" of Fig. 1. In movingin this man'- ner, the arm 19 turnsthe shaft 18 causing the arm 17 to inw'ardly'pull upon the link 1`5,"thus rocking the levers 13 -and causing the'links 12 to pull upon the' crankarijns 11 of the shafts 10, thereby swinging the checks 9 `outwardly "away' from ther rails R. By the time, the arm 19 has, passed the trip 20,`these chocks l'iaveb'een outwardly swnng'tc an extreme position beyonda wheel clearing position and provision is niadefor Vfholdiing them in such extreme position. j By the time `thisl holding has taken i place, :the

eegehsraeheu .a landing and thev released checks `will permit the 'cage#carried"carto bejforcenfrbm one end-ofthe tege by afnthe ether endend the snping'ofniejeheksis such that the car enteringffthe ",cagevv'ill g made whereby this outward swinging to a wheel-clearing position, will automatically release the latehing means which previously held the chocks 9 in the extreme position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, the result being that these chocks 9 then return to their initial operative positions, under the influence of gravity acting on certain of the operating parts. This return of the chocks has taken place before the wheels of the car being moved onto the cage, reach the point at which said choc-ks are located, so that the car is then stopped by said checks. As soon as this takes place, the chocks 9 return to their initial positions and thus the car is effectively locked upon the cage.

If the cars are to be moved in the opposite direction from that above described, trip 20 is relied upon to actuate the arm 19 and associated parts, so that the chocks 9 are held in extreme inoperative positions. lhen the approaching car then engages the chocks 9, during the act of pushing the cage-carried car from the cake, said chocks 9 are automatically released to return to normal position, and later the chocks 9 return also, to hold the car .in place upon the cage.

In the present showing, latching bars 21 and 21 are disposed longitudinally under the cage and are pivotally connected to the crank arms 17 and 17 respectively, 'these latching bars being pivoted to the bars 15 and 15 in the present disclosure, utilizing the pivots 16 and 16 to pivotally connect them with the crank arms. The bar 21 extends beyond the shaft 18 and is slidably received in a guide 22 on one of the transverse bars 8. Similarly, bar 21 extends beyond the shaft 18 and is slidably mounted in a guide 22 carried by the other transverse bar 8. The upper edges of these two latching bars 21 and 21 are provided with shoulders 23 and 23 which are adagted for engagement with vt-wo pivoted latches 24 and 24 respectively, each in the form of a bell crank, as will be clear from Fig. 3, said latches being pivoted upon appropriate brackets 25 which are secured to the bars 8, Normally, that is when all of the checks 9 and 9 are projected, the latch 24 rests upon the upper edge of the latching bar 21, in outwardly spaced relation with the shoulder 23. Similarly, the latch 24 then rests upon the outer end of the bar 21', in outwardly spaced relation with the shoulder 23. If now, shaft 18is turned 'to the maximum to e'ect outward movement of the chocks 9 to an extreme position beyond a mere car wheel clearing position, the bar 21 is moved suiiiciently to permit the latch 24 to engage the shoulder 23, thus effectively holding said chocks 9 in said eXtreme position.v Similarly, the latch. 24 engages shoulder 23 upon maximum movementof sion bein fr the bar 21 when shaft 18 is turned` to outwardly swing the chocks 9 to their eX- treme positions.

Latch-releasing arms 26 and 26 are provided for the latches 24 and 24, respectvely, the arm 26 being on one of the levers 13 while arm 26 is on one of the levers 13. These arms 26 and 26 are in contact with the vertical arms 24M-24b of the bell cranks or latches 24 and 24, respectively. To understand the action of these releasing arms, we will assume that the chocks 9 are held in their extreme outward positions by engagement of the shoulder 23 with the latch 24, and that a car is forced onto the cage to move the cage-carried car between said chocks 9 and off of said cage. The oncoming car engages and outwardly swings the chocks 9, causing movement of the lever 13 and associated parts, so that the arm 26 then forces against the vertical arm 24 of the bell crank or latch 24, raising the latter from engagement with the shoulder 23 of the latching bar 21. By this time, the oli'- going car is clear of the chocks 9 and the latter are thus free to return to operative position, to check the movement of the ongoing car, and by the time the wheels of this car have passed the chocks 9', the latter rcturn to their initial operative positions. this point, it may be explained that the outward movement of the checks 9 under the influence of the wheels of the oncoming car was not sufficient t-o move the bar 21 sulliciently to cause engagement of its shoulder i 28 with the latch 24, said chocks boing therefore left free to return to normal posi.- tion, when the car wheels have passed. lf the chocks 9 have been shifted outwardly to their eXtreme positions and latched by engagement of latch 24 with shoulder 23, release of this latch will take place when the chocks 9 are outwardly moved by engagement with the car wheels, as will be readily understood.

It often happens that it is necessary to hold both sets of chocks in released position, so that cars may travel uninterruptedly over the cage. Manual operating connections are therefore provided for the actuators 19 and 19. In the present showing, links 27 and 27 have sliding connections 28 and 28 with said actuators 19 and 19', the upper ends of these links being connected to pivoted arms 29 and 29 having operating handles 30 and 30 respectively. The connections 28 and 28 permit upward movement of the actuators 19 and 19 under the influence of the trips 20 and 20', without disturbingr the links 27 and 27 and associated parts. When the levers or handles 30 and 30 are swung upwardlyhowever, they will upwardly swing both actuators and thus move the chocks to inoperative positions, and if desired, openings 31 and 31 may be provided, through l l At i which pins may be inserted to lock the handcontrols in such position as to retain the chocks released.

The novel subject matter shown and described is rather simple and inexpensive, yet will be eflicicnt, reliable, and in every way desirable. taires, he details disclosed are preferably followed. However, within the scope of the invention as claimed, variations may be made.

I claim l. In combination with a vertically movable cage having` track rails for alinement with rails at a landing; a normally operative car wheel chock at each end of the cage separate operating' mechanisms for said checks having` independent actuators by means of which said mechanir-nns can be selectively actuated to move the chock at either end the cage to an extreme position beyond a wheel-clearing position, independent latch means for the two operating mechanisms to hold either of them only in a manner to re-v tain the associated chock in the aforesaid extreme position, each chock being' shaped for movement to but not beyond said wheelclearing` position when engagedby a wheel of a car forced onto either end of the can-e to move a carre-carried car from the other end of said cane, and means actuated by the last named or wheel-effected movement of either chock and the concurrent movement of' its operating,l mechanism for releasing the latch means of the other chock operatinfeY mechanism, permitting` return of the previously held chock to operative position.

2. In combination with a vertically movable cage having; rails for alinement with rails at a landing; a normally operative car wheel chock at each end of the cage, separate operating levers for said chocks ful- On account of such advan-l crumed to the cage and extending' transversely thereof, the outer ends of said levers being,` operatively connected with said checks, transverse rock shafts mounted on the cage near the ends thereof and having crank arms linked to the inner ends of said levers actuating arms projecting from said rock shafts, the actuating' arm at either end of the cage being active to move the chock at said end to an extreme position beyond a wheel-clearing position, two latching bars extendingv longitudinally of the cage and connected with said crank arms of the rock shafts respectively, two latches for said hars mounted on the cage adjacent the aforesaid levers, `the latch at either end of the cage being co-active with the latching bar connected to the rock shaft at the other end of said cage to hold the chock at the latter end in said extreme position, each chock beingr shaped for movement to but not beyond said wheel-clearing' position when engaged by a wheel of a car forced onto the cage to move a cage-carried car from the other end of said cage, and releasing means for said latches, mov-ement of either rock shaft under the last mentioned or wheel-effected movement of the connected chock serving to release the latch of the latching bar connected to the other rock shaft permitting the previously held chock to return from said extreme position to operative position.

3. A structure as specified in claim 2; said latch-releasing' means consisting of arms projecting from said transverse levers.

4. A structure as specified in claim l; together with manual operating means for said actuators, and means whereby they may be locked in chock-released position. Y

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aiiixed my signature.

` STEPHEN J.l REAP. 

